A South Korean government official said on July 30 that the Japanese government has authorized the export of the chemical substance "hydrogen fluoride" used for semiconductor cleaning, among the three semiconductor-related items that tightened export procedures for South Korea in July. . This is the first export license of hydrogen fluoride to Korea after the tightening of regulations.
According to South Korean industry officials, exports were approved for Samsung Electronics orders. Hydrogen fluoride is indispensable for semiconductor manufacturing, and Japan has a large share of the world's production. Among the three items, permission for “resist” of the photosensitive material to be applied to the semiconductor substrate has already been issued, and two items are permitted.
A South Korean government official said, “Korea is calling on Japan to unconditionally withdraw export restrictions, and it ’s not a gloomy case.” The Korean media reported the expert's view that “Japan gave permission to weaken the“ trade revenge theory ”claimed by the Korean side if filed with the World Trade Organization (WTO)”. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has not revealed the facts. (Seoul = Takeda)
